Inglorious Basterds (2009) movie review

 

World War II was the darkest of conflicts in human history, lasting for six years, and it saw the most horrific acts ever committed in human history. We know how it ended, and what the cost was. And we know what the name Adolf Hitler means, just as we know what Nazism truly is. And yet, in the following decades, the global film industry has produced many incredible movies set during the war. Saving Private Ryan, The Longest Day, The Monuments Men, and Der Untergang.

However, one special movie deserves to be covered, and that is 2009's Inglorious Basterds by Quinten Tarantino, starring Brad Pitt, Christopher Waltz, Daniel Bruhl (of later MCU fame) and Michael Fassbender and guest-starring Mike Myers. The story follows a pair of Jewish Allied commandos on a mission in Europe as they take on the Nazis, and begin making plans to take out Adolf Hitler and his inner circle when circumstances fall into place.

Despite being intense, with many grizzly scenes, Inglorious Basterds is a fun action flick with wonderful writing and good special effects. The start of the film was a highlight for me, especially as it draws you in. I want to focus on that for a bit, especially as it starts on a farm in the countryside of Nazi-occupied France, and the film's main villain, SS colonel Hans Landa, visits the French farmer Perrier in his search for a hiding Jewish family. 

In just the first ten to fifteen minutes, you are drawn into the film, especially with Landa and Perrier's conversation. The highlight of the scene is when they start talking in English after speaking in French, but you can't deny how suspenseful the opening is. Perrier gives away the Jews that Landa is hunting are hiding beneath the floor, and Landa pretends to leave as he brings in his men. Obviously, the Nazis shoot through the floor, but what really cements this as the best opening scene for an R-rated movie is that... we don't see any blood in that moment.

Yes, there is blood at various points in the movie, but the opening only shows the soldiers shoot through the floor, with no blood flying everywhere. Mr. Tarantino is undoubtedly a visionary, and his style has to be respected. Even fifteen years after its release, Inglorious Basterds deserves a world of respect. Adolf Hitler does makes an appearance in the movie, played by German actor Martin Wukke. The movie depicts Hitler wearing a cape for a time in the movie, which is pretty funny, and he has gone on to become an online meme within the world of Hitler-related memes. Really, Hitler's first scene sees him banging his fist on the table and screaming "no" about four times in German. 

Oh, and he gets shot and killed in a theater at the end of the movie, just like Abraham Lincoln in our world. Inglorious Basterds is an alternate history WW2 film, folks.

My dad and I watched it on YouTube months ago, and it was a fun experience to see it. Inglorious Basterds is a must-see for anyone who likes watching crazy World War II movies, and if you're into alternate history in general. My score for the movie is a 9.8/10, and I was fortunate to see this one. Have fun out there, people.

-James M

James' review of Jojo Rabbit (2019)

 

Welcome back, everyone. Today, we're here to review this comedic movie involving Nazis and World War II called Jojo Rabbit, loosely based on a book called Caged Skies, and the story is pretty simple:

During the Second World War, Jojo Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis), who confides in an imaginary version of Adolf Hitler (played by the film's director Takia Wattiti, joins the Hitler Youth and, after recovering from an injury, he discovers a Jew named Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) hiding in the house. As it turns out, Jojo's mother (Scarlett Johansson) is an anti-Nazi, and, the more Jojo interacts with Elsa, his patriotism towards the Third Reich begins to diminish. At one point, Fake Hitler launches into a frightening triad to Jojo, telling him how Germany relies on the passion of valiant young men and that its up to him to decide if he wants to be remembered by history or disappear insignificantly.

While it is set during one of the roughest times imaginable, Jojo Rabbit is a fun movie with plenty of comedic moments throughout, and Takia's portrayal of Hitler ranges from wacky to completely serious. By the end of the film, Fake Hitler has become a raging mess, akin to the version played by Bruno Ganz in Der Untergang. The writing is well done, and Jojo had a swell character arc, going from a Nazi fanatic to someone who cares for those the Nazis persecuted.

Jojo Rabbit deserves a 9.5 out of 10. Go watch it if you want. And don't ever forget the horrors inflicted by the forces of Nazism. Don't follow their ideals, don't give their fallen empire power, and don't honor the legacy of Adolf Hitler. Even in death, Hitler can still hurt the world, and influence many people. The Nazis, regardless if they were a political party, are monsters forever.

Farewell, folks.

-James M

FAT MAN & LITTLE BOY (1989) vs. OPPENHEIMER (2023) -a James M review-

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Greetings, fellow historians.

We're going to do something different today with this special review as we pit two movies against one another. 1989's FAT MAN AND LITTLE BOY starring Paul Newman and 2023's OPPENHEIMER by Christopher Nolan starring Cilian Murphy.

For a little explanation, both movies are about the creation of the atomic bomb during the war, and the latter is also about Doctor Robert J. Oppenheimer's life during, before, and after the bomb was created. The former, Fat Man and Little Boy, is very PG-13, while Oppenheimer is R-rated for heavy profanity and instances of nudity/sex.

Okay, so, which movie is the best?

Let us start with the 1989 film. Without delay, here we go, and I hope I don't upset the OPPENHEIMER fans.

Running at 2 hours and 7 minutes, FAT MAN & LITTLE BOY is straightforward as it covers Leslie Groves and his group's efforts on the Manhattan Project from 1942 to 1945. Now, Paul Newman is a stunning actor, and he was well-casted for the role of Colonel Groves. As for Dr. Oppenheimer, who is present in the film, he is portrayed by Dwight Schultz, and well-represented for the most part. The build-up to the bomb test is well-paced, and the film covers all the trial-and-error, with one person getting hurt at one point, not to mention Oppenheimer's affair with Jean Tatlock is covered reasonably well with a pretty decent PG13-rated sex scene shown at one point.

Over on OPPENHEIMER's side, the film isn't as straightforward as you think, especially as it goes all over the timeline from showing Oppenheimer's work on the Manhattan Project, to his education, to his affairs with the likes of Kitty Puening and Jean Tatlock, his conversation with Einstein in 1947, and his 1954 security hearing as well as a 1959 senate session. But, even as it bounces around the time periods, you still get the story of Oppenheimer's life and the Manhattan Project as well as his reaction to the Trinity test and the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Heck, my mom had trouble enjoying it and prefers FAT MAN & LITTLE BOY. 

Now, I'm going to admit, I enjoy both of these films, but between Oppenheimer and the 1989 film, the movie that is the superior one is FAT MAN & LITTLE BOY, also my mom's choice of film, especially as it's easier to watch and you don't have to spend 3 hours watching stuff with Dr. Oppenheimer. And yet, I am willing to give the 2023 film another watch one day. Now for the scores, FAT MAN AND LITTLE BOY gets a 10.5, and OPPENHEIMER gets an 8.9.

Well, see you around, folks.

-James M

James M's review of THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963)

 

History can never forget the Second World War, the events that led to it, those who started it, the heroes of the war, and what ended the chaotic carnage. 

In the decades since Germany and Japan's respective surrender, there have been films set during the war that told historical or fictional stories about many events involving the Allied heroes of World War II. In 1963, the world saw the release of THE GREAT ESCAPE, starring the legendary Steve McQueen, which told the story of a daring historical escape by Allied POWs and went on to inspire films such as Dreamworks' CHICKEN RUN (2000).

The film is set in 1943, almost four years into the war, and sees a group of Allied prisoners, who are known for escaping German POW camps, moved to Luft Stalag III, run by a Luftwaffe Colonel named Von Luger, actually a stand-in for Stalag III's real commandant Fredrich Willhelm von Lindeiner-Wildau, who tells British Group Captain Ramsey not to make any attempts to escape, even though the Group Captain tells him that it is the sworn duty of every officer to escape. 

Captain Hilts, played by Steven McQueen, joins a group of POWs planning to escape, and, after some planning with plenty of hiccups, 76 of the prisoners, one of which is Hilts, break out of the camp using one of the tunnels they dug, and a few of them make it out of Germany while the others, including Captain Hilts, are either recaptured or killed with fifty of the escaping prisoners being executed by the Gestapo under Adolf Hitler's orders. War crime! The film ends with Hilts in the cooler at Stalag III, playing ball, and planning to escape. Again.

We own this film on DVD, and my father and I saw it together some couple of years back. This film is unforgettable, a product of it's time, and it was well-made, despite taking creative liberties with certain historical events. The sets and locations in the movie looked quite visually stunning, with Luft Stalag III reminding me of Stalag 13 from Hogan's Heroes and capturing that POW Camp vibe, and the action was well-done with the motorcycle chase being a fine highlight. Within a nearly 3 hour runtime, the movie perfectly sets up the plot, introduces us to the characters and their motivations, and showcases the heroes' efforts decently. Oh, and the soundtrack holds up for it's time.

THE GREAT ESCAPE is a worthwhile World War II film, and I'm happy to rate it a B+ & a 9.8/10. Perhaps I'll watch it again in the future when we have time.

See you soon.

James M's movie review of Saving Private Ryan (1998)

 

War, a fascinating and important subject, but also a dark and terrible time. War never changes, war takes lives, but can be entertaining in movies.

There have been many wars throughout history, but World War II is the darkest time period in the history of our planet, occurring nearly twenty one years after the end of World War I and started by the most ruthless dictatorship in world history. This is where we gather to discuss a movie set during that era, a movie that depicted the reality of war in terrifying detail.

This is Saving Private Ryan, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks as Captain Miller and Matt Damon as Private Ryan himself, this movie unfolds in June of 1944 as Allied Forces land in France, moving inland and fighting hard against Nazi forces. 

Kicking off in the present day with the older Ryan and his family in a graveyard, the story truly begins when it shifts to 1944 on D-Day, the Normandy Landings. The scene in the boat with the soldiers leading up to the big battle is so eerie and chilling, it actually gave me shivers, making me feel like I was there among many of those soldiers who were destined to die on D-Day.

Saving Private Ryan is no ordinary war movie as it is brutal and is R-rated, blood is spilled and the D-Day sequence is filled with the brutality of war with many gruesome death scenes, even though you still see the traditional dropping dead bloodlessly after getting shot seen many times in previous war movies or action movies in general. While it is a war movie, there are moments of peace and quiet. 

However, during those moments of peace and quiet, while the soldiers are talking or moving through a tranquil countryside, you may never know when the enemy will attack at any time. That is perhaps one of the best parts about a war movie, which nails it about real life war, is when you may never know when the enemy will strike at any time. The writers knew what they were doing, even the musical score was well put together with some very good music heard throughout the movie.

Tom Hanks steals the show in the movie, especially as Captain Miller, showing that he is one of the best actors in Hollywood and still is to this day. And seeing him with Matt Damon was quite incredible, especially since Mr. Damon's also one of the greatest actors ever next to Tom Cruise, Chris Evans and countless other great people from many different movies and shows. 

Father and I talked about seeing this movie for a good couple of years, but never got the chance to do so as life got in the way or we were busy watching other films, when we finally did, the experience wasn't so bad. While the action scenes were well-shot, the moments of peace and quiet along with the build-ups to the battles were both decently thought out. You can't have constant action scenes, after all.

Overall, Saving Private Ryan is a fun, fantastic and one of the best war films ever. If you're a fan of Tom Hanks, war movies and action films, I'll happily suggest you watch it. But just a heads up, Saving Private Ryan is no doubt very violent but its probably nothing you can't handle. I managed to handle the gory scenes, especially since, realistic as the gore was, it was fake. This film gets a 10.5.

See you later, America.

-CVGWJames

Guest Post -James M's Review of Hogan's Heroes + Retrospective

Salutations fellow historians and fans of anything related to the Second World War, CrazyGamerHistorian1999 here and we will be taking a look at the 1960s-1970s American WWII-themed sitcom, the campy and sometimes serious Hogan's Heroes.
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   By the time the 1960s rolled about, World War II was partially a distant memory, yet movies and television shows set during the time of the war were very common, shows such as Rat Patrol and movies like Great Escape and The Longest Day are prime examples.
   But one show stood out in particular, Hogan's Heroes. Set during World War II from 1942 to sometime in early 1945, the show focused on Colonel Robert Hogan and his crew -consisting of Staff Sergeant James Kinchloe (later replaced by Ken Washington's character Sgt Baker), French Corp Louis LeBeau (played by holocaust survivor Robert Clary), English Corporal Peter Newkirk and Sgt Andrew Carter- as they engage in hit and run surgical strike sabotage missions against the Nazi regime of the Third Reich.

 Hogan and his crew's main base of operations is the seemingly inescapable Stalag 13, which is run by Kommandant Wilhelm Klink (played by Werner Klemperer), who is a strict and tough, yet bumbling, loyal German Luftwaffe-Wehrmacht officer and a veteran of World War I and accompanied by Sgt. Hans Schultz (played by John Banner), also a WWI veteran and the main sergeant of Stalag 13. Schultz loves chocolate and can be an idiot too, he also looks a bit like Goring.
    Being a bit incompetent and bumbling as well as fearful of being shot or sent to the Russian front, Schultz provides a bit of comic relief. Whenever he learns about Hogan's plans or sees something like the emergency tunnel, he freaks out and says, "I know nothing, nothing. I see nothing, I hear nothing!" One time, when he saw the tunnel and it was open, he chuckled and told Hogan, "You better fix that hole in the floor or somebody might fall in."

However, while most of the Germans are incompetent and not as dangerous as they usually should be, providing for some great comedy, there are still times where things really get serious whenever Klink's boss General Burkhalter (played by Leon Askins) and the SS/Gestapo, lead by Major Hochstetter (played by the great Howard Caine) get involved. Burkhalter, like Schultz, is fat and almost looks like Herman Goring, except he has a scar on his face. In some episodes, whenever he shows up, Burkhalter will attempt to get Klink to hook up with his sister Gertruda. As for the SS, their involvement can provide some major complications for Hogan's plans.

Despite Hogan and his crew's best efforts not to be caught, they did almost got exposed numerous times, Hogan's had a few spies infiltrate his group and then there was that time where the Germans got their hands on a device that could detect radio frequencies. While German dictator Adolf Hitler does not appear in the show, despite being mentioned numerous times and the fact Klink and somebody else has photos of the fuehrer, his influence and his presence can be felt throughout, even when the SS get involved. When you think about it, Hitler's probably off-screen somewhere either giving a speech, hosting a meeting or sitting down to drink his tea. Whenever the German war machine is sabotaged or there's a successful Allied air raid and it reaches Hitler's ears, he probably gets mad, throws a temper tantrum and likely orders somebody shot.

In a few episodes, however, Carter has dressed up as Hitler a few times, so Hitler does show up but its either somebody mimicking his voice or impersonating him in general. In the episode "Will The Real Adolf Please Stand Up", in order to get a film out of Stalag 13, Hogan had Carter dress up as the crazed dictator to hilarious results. Schults gave Carter/Hitler the Nazi salute and Klink acted like a Hitler fanboy, excited that Germany's "great leader" was visiting Stalag 13. In another episode, Carter did dress up as Hitler again and Klink's office did get turned into "Hitler's office". Either way, the show, running for 6 seasons and 6 years (just like WWII) from 1965 to 1971, is awesome.

Hogan's Heroes has a legacy, a legacy that will never be forgotten, and has been referenced in other media off and on throughout the years. Shortly before his passing many years after the show ended, Werner Klemperer reprised his role as Colonel Klink, whose ghost made an appearance in an episode of the Simpsons. In his brief appearance, Klink finally learned about the secret tunnel under Stalag 13 as well as the coffee pot radio from Homer, who was a big fan of Hogan's Heroes....

Retrospective/Thoughts:

In the Summer of 2014, my pop and I were discussing WWII when he brought up the show and he told me a little bit about it, even telling me about the episode where Carter dressed up as Hitler. It took a while, but I was eventually interested.  Months later, in November/December of 2014, pop and I watched the pilot episode on TV, (a rerun) and after that, we started watching more episodes (including the one where there was a Colonel Hoffman who wanted to defect from the Third Reich). I was into the show so much, mum got me the first two seasons for Christmas and we were soon watching almost all the episodes.

During Christmas season 2016, my pop and I did get our hands on Seasons three and four, they also took a while to get through. Afterwards, especially after we got our hands on the last two seasons, I became disconnected from the show and it was a while before we got back into it, again. Then in 2018, we got back into the show and, yes, it did take a while to get through season five. Finally, in 2019 (this year as of this review), we finally finished the show. Was it a fun ride? Yes. Did I have fun? Yes. Is it worth a watch? Go ahead, buy the whole series and watch it.

See you next time, people.
-James M